A - Z RHS Chelsea Flower Show

A – is for afternoon tea. What could be more quintessentially English than a selection of traditional finger sandwiches and a selection of tempting afternoon pastries and fancies served with a pot of Earl Gray tea launched for 2011 Show in the Official Hospitality Village.

Hospitality Launch

I'm back in the office after a particularly nasty bout of man-flu. It seems to be going around so I hope everyone is ok. Its always amazes me how many men are beginning to think 'man-flu' is a legitimate term for a special type of flu. You know we're mocking you don't you boys?

It's Friday and I am in an exceptional mood! I'm heading out this evening to meet the girls for a birthday celebration so its seems very fitting that I should read about the exciting inhouse innovation that is the Sodexo female networking group on our intranet this morning.

Meet Bateaux London's Marketing Executive, Stephanie Dodgson

Stephanie Dodgson is a dear friend who works in our Marketing team. Based onboard Bateaux London, her time is divided between the needs of Bateaux and Prestige in general.

Hello, Stephanie. So, what brought you over from the surfers and sunny climes of Australia?

 

L'Occitane competition

We are delighted to announce the new Corporate Gift and Event service from L’Occitane, the luxury fragrance and beauty brand from Provence.

A Ritz-roaring Affair

Some of you may remember me writing about this event last year. I had an amazing night, and an even better one this time around. Networking is less of a daunting task nowadays - in fact, I love it.

The team invited their top golfing clients to the Ritz Club Casino to celebrate the launch of our new hospitality packages at the Open; and to view our sexy new video!

New Recruits!

Now, I don’t know if I have mentioned this but Prestige has recently taken on 2 new recruits for the hospitality sales team. This was a welcome relief to Stuart and I, who have been manning the fort on our lonesome for a while now. But this is not the only benefit as you can imagine. On a personal level I am delighted to have some assistance around the office: cups of tea, the lifting of boxes, being told how nice I look today – oh, did I mention they are BOYS?!

Before I get sued for gender bias, I would like to add that of course the boys do more than make me tea and tell me I look nice. In all honesty, I am lucky if I am referred to by my own name rather than the nickname du jour (Please note Darren, I have not been enjoying Dobby the House Elf. Although that said, it is undeniable that Mark really does look like Ron Weasley).

Darren and Mark are invaluable assets to the team, having injected a new lease of life into the place, bringing with them their own connections and contacts, plus that little thing that keeps a sales team buzzing – the sense of competition!

Rugger

Ooooh. Just received a company announcement from our Managing Director entitled Sodexo wins Rugby World Cup bids for 2015 and 2019!!!! (Exclamation marks my own).

I confess I do not always pay due attention to the company announcements. Items like Sodexo achieves SAFE contractor accreditation, whilst fantastic, do not really float my boat. BUT! Prestige have been awarded the prestigious contract for the full, official travel and hospitality programmes for the next two Rugby World Cup tournaments, the first in England in 2015, and the following competition in Japan in 2019.

I LOVE rugby (players) and I am so pleased to have another event to offer my clients. This is a massive win for Rugby Travel & Hospitality Ltd (RTH), the name of our joint venture company, and extends our highly successful partnership with Rugby World Cup Ltd, who has awarded us the contract. This has been largely down to our successful delivery of the award-winning official travel and hospitality programmes for Rugby World Cup 2007 in France, achieving record sales figures.

Having spent most of the summer watching cricket, I guess I will need start brushing up on my rugby lingo. Coming from someone who is still referring to wicket keeping as 'wicketing', and asking when everyone will be coming off the 'pitch' - its safe to say my rugby knowledge is even less impressive. Any rugby enthusiasts out there who can help???

Team!

This month our lovely boss David MacCallum did what lovely bosses do best – and opened his wallet. That’s right, the Sales Team ventured outside of the office for their first group outing for a little something we like to call team bonding.

Clearly, this is a 'before' photo.

Crazy Golf

Another crazy day in the office manning the phones whilst clients innundate us with last minute requests and questions about their hospitality at The Open tomorrow. There is a fantastic atmosphere in the office - we have 2 new sales guys and the room is a-buzz with golf-talk, furtive phone calls to the Events Team onsite at St Andrews and bigs whoops of joy as the bookings keep rolling in!

Whilst the actual tournament starts on Thursday 15th, Prestige are kicking things off early with our Sportsman's Dinner tomorrow evening - hosted by none other than past champion and Ryder Cup Captain Tony Jacklin. After mooching about watching the practice rounds, guests are invited to gather and watch past champions compete over 4 holes. Twenty seven of the 32 Open Champions will be playing, including Tiger Woods and Tom Watson. The Champions' Challenge tees off around 3.40pm and finishes at 6pm, then guests descend upon the Links Restaurant for a champagne and canape reception, followed by a sumptuous 4-course feast!

My colleagues David and Stuart are already onsite and I am extremely envious that they are attending the dinner (I love dinner). I tried to be sympathetic when Stuart called today to say he had already crashed his golf buggy - but I just couldn't rise above the jealousy (or fight the hysterical laughter).

Last minute sales have been incredible for the rest of the tournament - the phones have been none stop the past few days. The poor team are running around the site depositing tickets left right and centre, scoping out where the car parks are and generally just getting a handle on things; preparing for everyone's arrival. We have all been waiting for The Open to arrive, and it has finally come around!

The Road Hole Fine Dining Restaurant is a must-visit gourmet destination for all food lovers and with a Private chef cooking breakfast upon arrival they are definitely starting the day as they mean to go on. I also incidentally love breakfast in case you are wondering.

The Hospitality Village looks incredible and will look even better once it is full of people. There are private chalets, hospitality gardens, business centres - its like a little community. A mixture of clubhouse style facilities and a buzzy restaurant area, it is truly first class hospitality.

A Day at the Races

I am missing Ascot already! This year was absolutely stunning - the grass was its greenest, the sun was at its sunniest and hospitality was full to the rafters with beautifully dressed ladies and gentlemen.

Royal Ascot is synonymous with quality, style and excellence in providing unparalleled racing, hospitality and a memorable day out and I had the pleasure of attending as a punter on the Wednesday. I took my housemate Tash and friend of old, Georgie - neither of whom let me down on the dressing up front. No one needed telling twice to wear their very finest and it paid off - photgraphers loved our head-wear and I have been assured I am going to be made very famous in a highly regarded (?) publication in Norway ....

Royal Ascot hospitality provides the ultimate stage for the best racehorses in the world. The quality of the horseracing is simply outstanding, with over £4 million in prize money on offer and a total of seventeen "Group" races over the five days. Royal Ascot runs more group races than any other race meeting in the UK, including 7 Group Ones, the elite level of races, throughout the five days.

We managed to pick up a little something in each race and everything went into a kitty dubbed 'The Champagne Fund'. We were very giggly by the end of the day!

Golf doesn't get better than this

If you’re a golfing nut, there’s one thing you’re not going to want to miss. On the 14^th July, on the eve of The Open Championship at St Andrews, we’re hosting the ultimate in golfing events.

Tiger Woods, Tom Watson, Stewart Cink and Seve Ballesteros are just four of the 28 golfing greats who’ll battle it out across the 1^st, 2^nd, 17^th and 18^th holes on the Old Course.

After watching them play, sit back and enjoy a champagne reception and sumptuous four-course Sportsman’s Dinner, hosted by BBC’s John Inverdale, at The R&A Links Restaurant behind the 1st tee.

And, for the perfect finish to the day, Tony Jacklin, one of the greats of British golf, will be our very special guest speaker.

For more information about the Sportsman’s Dinner at the Champions’ Challenge, click here or call +44(0)844 3710883.

And, if you’re following us on Facebook or Twitter, we’ve got an exclusive offer for this event, so follow us now to keep in the loop. 

The place to be seen daaarling!

Well its been a few weeks since the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and pretty soon I will have to change my tune and talk about another event - but not yet!

As you may or may not know (depending on how many of my blogs you have read - eh hem!), this was the first year that I headed up the sales for the event - adopting Chelsea as my own project from the sales and marketing, fulfilment to some operational support onsite. Happily, I can say that this was our best year yet on the sales front - a testimony to changing times in the economy, the continued focus on hospitality as a indispensible business tool and of course, the phenomenal popularity of the show.

It was great to see so many old faces (not necessarily indicative of the age of my clients) - and I was delighted to welcome many new ones to the village this year. We had a lot of first timers and so this made it even more exciting for me, watching the picture I paint before hand become a reality for those who have never attended before.

For those of you who have not yet had the pleasure of seeing the village yourselves it can best be described as a peaceful haven, away from the hustle and bustle of the show. Pavilions are nestled in a private garden, in an L-shape; scattered with garden furniture and parasols, with wooden decking, water features and local artwork. Typically you will find hospitality guests chatting in the sunshine - Pimm's in hand and the summery tones of the Spanish guitar in the air.

Client feedback was universally glowing with a focus on the fantastic food and attentive service - and having witnessed the hard work of the events team behind the scenes it was my absolute pleasure to forward on the many complimentary and appreciative emails received from clients around the Prestige team.

Lots of early starts and late nights, several laps around the show ground daily - and I confess the odd glass of champers or Pimm's with a client or two - made for a very broken Lorraine by the end of the week; but I loved it. There is nothing better than witnessing first-hand all your plans and hard work come to fruition - and there is a lovely sense of fellowship onsite between us Prestigers that comes with sleep deprivation!

The Open Championship Hospitality gets social

With just a month to go to The Open Championship golf at St Andrews, we’re getting social. So, to keep up with all the latest golfing news, or to have a chat with fellow golf fans, join us on our Open Golf Championship Facebook page and The Open Hospitality Twitter feed.

And, we’ve just announced a very special hospitality deal, only available to our fans on Facebook and Twitter. To find out more, head on over to Facebook or Twitter - but you’ll need to be quick as spaces are limited!

Click here for more information on all of our hospitality packages for The Open Championship.

The best Chelsea Flower Show video we've found

We think this video shows off the exciting nature of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show perfectly.  So sit back, relax, and enjoy the cacophony of sound and colour that only Chelsea can provide.

Sodexo Prestige networking cruise on Bateaux London

Sodexo Prestige venues were joined by over 300 current and prospective clients for a networking evening on board Bateaux London's flagship vessel, Symphony, on Wednesday 19th May.

The theme for the evening was Dreamboats and Petticoats. Guests were welcomed on board with a dreamy cocktail and networked the room while a live band played. Representatives from Sodexo Prestige's sporting and heritage venues from across the UK were there to welcome guests. New venues to the group included One Queen Anne's Gate and Gilwell Park, Chingford as well as Blenheim Palace, Churchill War Rooms, HMS Belfast.

After an hour moored on the Embankment, the Symphony cruised down the Thames, giving guests close up views of London while the live band performed hits from The Dreamboats and Petticoats. During the 90-minute cruise, guests were treated to delicious canapés, a choice of wine, beer or cocktails, as well as the chance to win some fantastic prizes including hospitality packages at Ascot Racecourse and RHS Chelsea Flower Show, afternoon tea at Churchill War Rooms and a dinner cruise with Bateaux London.

Anna Fenten, Marketing Director, said of the event, "The evening was a great success. It was the first time that we have held an evening networking event and the turnout was superb. It was great to meet with so many current and potential clients in a relaxed and informal way and an opportunity to showcase the Symphony and Bateaux London team."

On docking at 8.30pm, guests were given a L'Occitane (whom some of you might recall we partnered with in the past for Chelsea Flower Show) bag of goodies and a Dreamboats and Petticoats CD.

Chelsea Flower Show hospitality is now on Facebook

You heard it here first folks.  We've decided to go social this year at Chelsea Flower Show, and we'll be keeping you in the horticultural know with regular posts from our RHS Flower Show Hospitality Facebook page and live Twitter feed.

We'd love to hear from you so please do drop us a line.

Sodexo Prestige Head of Online discussing the benefits of using Venues.org.uk

OK, so it's more than a little cringe-worthy, but venues.org really do provide us with an excellent sales and marketing platform - so let's give them their due.  Cut to head shot!

New Chelsea Flower Show Twitter feed is now live

To get up to the minute updates and news on this year's Chelsea Flower Show why not tune into our Chelsea Twitter account.  For all things green, visit twitter.com/RHS_Hospitality or watch our gorgeous Chelsea Flower show video below.

Sodexo Prestige and Fareshare

Being part of one of the world's largest catering companies can have its advantages.  Our Christmas lunch is without doubt one of the best in the UK, we're never short of cutlery, and best of all, we can actually make a difference in people's lives.

I experienced this first hand yesterday when I joined the team at Fareshare in Bermondsey in London to distribute food to homeless shelters and hostels around the South-East.  Fareshare is one of Sodexo's charitable partners, and as part of the Sodexo 'Stop Hunger' campaign, we lend support, both financially, logistically and practically.  But what exactly does Fareshare do?  I hear you ask.

Well, the catering and retail industry produces a lot of waste.  Whilst an element of this is unavoidable (food past its use by date etc.), quite a lot of it is absolutely fine.  This second category comes as a result of over ordering, sample packs, poorly printed packaging etc; all food that can't be sold in shops or restaurants, but is still perfectly edible.  Fareshare take this food from retailers such as Sainsburies and Marks and Spencers, and caterers such as ourselves, and redistributes it where it is needed the most.  And it was my mission to help with this redistribution.

The day started early, as I had to be in Bermondsey by 8.30am.  I was joined by Sodexo Prestige Chef Chris, who had travelled all the way from Ickworth House in Suffolk to join us (and I was complaining about my early start!).  The two of us started by separating the food into hostel specific orders and loading them into the Sodexo sponsored van.  Two back breaking hours later and we were whizzing around the back streets of London on our way to Manna, a hostel set up in the shadows of London Bridge to help the young and homeless.  The hostels were a revelation - I initially had preconceptions of run down housing estates, but the reality was of well maintained and friendly youth centres, trying their best to help the kids.  The food was seen as an essential means to an end - a hook to bring the kids through the door, so they could then begin the process of turning their lives around.

Three hostels, two half way houses, a kids outreach centre, and a stop off at the central Sainsburies depot in the City to collect a fresh array of fruit and veg, and we were heading back to Bermondsey to start the food sorting and selection for the following shift, concluding what was, without a doubt a tiring but satisfying day.  Fareshare relies on volunteers, so if you'd like a day out of the office and a sense of doing the right thing, drop Jere Thomas a line on 020 7394 2463 / 2473 or email jeredine.thomas@fareshare.org.uk.

Paul Boon, Event Director sits in the Hot Seat

Paul, you're new at Prestige Head Office, although of course, you were with us some time as Ascot Racecourse. Can you tell us what your new role as Director of Events for Prestige is all about- apart from being SUPER important?

Of course Lorraine. I oversee the operational side of our event profile and manage the specialist events team who deliver the events from start to finish. My goal is to meet and exceed our client’s expectations, and to be innovative and creative in everything we do. I'm involved in every aspect, from staff scheduling, recruitment and training, risk assessment and site management - right down to the tasting of the menus.

What did you do today?

 

Today we were concentrating on staffing for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show; ensuring we get the right people in, and in the right places. I have also been negotiating some new contracts for 2012 - which I am very excited about. Unfortunately I can't go into more detail at this stage, as it's quite confidential, but rest assured 2011 will bring in some exciting developments. I've also been working on some brand new offers and innovations for our most popular catering item - the baguette! And we have been designing the Event Team's new coat - its black with an accent of pink for our new logo. Very sexy.

What Event are you currently focussed on?

 

Well, as I'm sure you're aware, Chelsea is the opening event of the hospitality season so that’s a strong focus for us right now, but we have to think a lot further ahead than one event, so I'm currently focussing a lot of my energies on Royal Ascot in June, and The Open Championship in July. We're even planning ahead to the Burghley Horse Trials, which aren't until September!

What's new for 2010?

 

2010 has seen a lot of change to our hospitality offerings. As much as we would like to, we can't ignore the impact that the recession has had on business, but we've adapted accordingly and come out stronger. You'll be reading a lot about our fine dining packages in the up and coming months - these aren't quite the full blown hospitality our guests have come to love, but they still provide stunning food and drink in delightful surroundings. They provide a simpler alternative to hospitality and are proving to be very popular at the flower shows.

What do you love most about working for Prestige?

 

I love the variety, and the prestige of our events. Coming from a fixed-site background it’s extremely motivating to work with so many different venues, locations, offers and types of customers. I have to be very flexible and adaptable, especially as I am working on the premier events of the season - it keeps me on my toes!

Lastly Paul, I understand that when you joined you somehow managed to escape the standard Sodexo interview question of 'What animal would you be and why?' - So, what animal would you be and why?

 

Hmmm, strange but I like it. I think a monkey is definitely my animal. I'm cheeky and like to have a laugh - and I am flexible and I adapt to my surroundings. I work hard but like to have fun on the job.

Thank you Paul - have a banana for your troubles.

Red Photographic

Little networking jaunt to The Adam Street Club to view a friend’s photography and wine tasting.


Simon John Owen is part of what we affectionately term the rugby-mafia: a network of contacts made via the beloved sport of rugby through my boss David MacCallum. Simon is sometimes commissioned to take some photos for us – most recently at the event on HMS Belfast. We love the fresh style he brings to our traditional venues.

Jason Haynes of Flint Wines led us in a fun and unpretentious tutored tasting of the wines of Burgundy. Yum.

Cost Sector Awards 2010

I have an absolute splitting headache today and I am seriously considering a little nap at lunchtime. No, I have not been out painting the town red – Sodexo Prestige were nominated for several awards at the annual Cost Sector Catering Awards last night and it was duly celebrated!

The prestigious annual award ceremony reflects the truly aspirational nature of this accolade programme. To win one of the coveted award categories is the pinnacle of any executive's career and recognizes their outstanding contribution to this wonderful industry of ours. It is the highest acknowledgement of merit that can be bestowed from within the foodservice industry.

Hosted at the Hilton Metropole, we wore black-tie and arrived for a drinks reception and a bit of schmoozing. Anna fenten, our Marketing Director, waltzed me round the room introducing me to various Sodexo big-wigs and ‘industry people’, and we spied on the other nominees trying to spot who was who.

The guest list was about 1,000 strong, and out of the15 awards, Prestige were nominated for a fair few – very exciting times. The nominees were shown on screen throughout the night and we cheered loudly every time Anna Fenten and Sue Creed (Director of Events for Prestige Ticketing) flashed up on screen. As a consummate professional, I restrained myself from booing when a certain competitors name came up …. You know who you are.

Sodexo were nominated for:

Event Caterer Award: Sue Creed, Events Director, Sodexo

Marketing Award: Sodexo UK for the Open Golf Championships

Social Care Award: Sodexo Ltd

Stadia Award: Sodexo UK for Aberdeen Football Club

I made a very nice new friend from our venue Aberdeen Football Club – Account Manager, Isla Stewart. Andrew Nicholson, our Head of Online, had said previously that we were peas in a pod and a very apt statement that was. Dressed in a stunning black sequinned cocktail dress she was the complete opposite to me in my ethereal pink number, but none the less we clicked. And speaking of outfits to die-for, I think she would want you all to know that she was photographed by Grazia that very same weekend out and about in Clapham!

Sadly we did not traverse the carpet and collect a prize from the comic John Colshaw - however, although not officially recognised in an award format I feel that everyone in the room knew that we were winners none the less!

Sodexo Prestige E-Commerce Manager, Andrew Nicholson, answers industry questions from Prestige Blogger Lorraine Blake

Tell us a little bit about what you do at Prestige the Andrew?

Quite a bit at the moment actually Lorraine. We’re moving a lot of our sales and marketing activity online, so I’ve been a very busy boy. We’ve found of late that as more and more of our customers communicate in the virtual world, we’re able to talk to them directly this way. We’re engaging via Facebook, Twitter, blogs etc, and by doing this we’re able to talk to our customers, rather than talking at them. There’s been some resistance to this new way of doing things, but I’ve hopefully played my part in convincing people that this open dialogue is something we should be embracing, rather than being scared of.

I’ve also been working hard on launching our new online event booking tool. This will enable customers to book and pay online for a range of events throughout the Prestige family. It doesn’t matter if they’re looking for a Christmas party for 100 in Hampden Park in Glasgow, or a romantic dinner cruise on board Bateaux London, guests will be able to go through the same online portal knowing that they’re in safe hands. This will be going live later in the year, so I’ll be sure to keep you posted.

How does this relate to the event-world?

Ahhh. You mean that thing you sales guys call the real world? It’s funny. People look at live events and think there’s no connection with online. But what they fail to grasp a lot of the time is that the online world is based on the real world. Videos uploaded onto YouTube (currently at a rate of 24 hours worth of footage every minute of the day) are videos of live events, whether that be an exhibition for 1,000 delegates at Ascot Racecourse, or a panda cub sneezing. Photos of The Open Championship and the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (where we do hospitality) are uploaded onto Flickr, and if you search for Ashton Court Mansion (which I’m visiting today) on Google, you’ll see members of the public posting event reviews.

What is the best aspect of your job?

The great thing about working online is you can see the results of your work instantly. If you produce a bill board, you may see a surge of interest over a few months, if you put out a newspaper ad, you’ll see a surge of interest that day (hopefully). When I sent out a Tweet advertising our new partnership between City Jet and Open Golf Official Hospitality just now, I’d had 40 people click through to the package information before I’d even had time to refresh the page. It’s this instant gratification that I love!

Which is your favourite Prestige event and why?

Oh, now that’s a tricky one. From a purely personal perspective, I enjoyed hospitality at Royal Ascot two year’s back, and met the Queen. Twice! That’s an experience money simply can’t buy. I love the energy of Ascot. The passion and the fashion. And let’s be honest, the racing is without compare. That said, this month I brought my mum two hospitality places for Hampton Court Palace Flower show, for her 60th birthday (She’s going to kill me for putting her age down on here). Don’t get me wrong, Chelsea Flower Show is still the peak of the social season, but for my mum I thought something a little more sedate might be the order of the day, and as she’s a bit of a gardener herself, I know the earthiness of Hampton Court would appeal. I must have been right, as she’s over the moon and can’t stop talking about it

If you had to be a canapé what would you be and why?

Um… Odd question, but here goes.

I’d be the Three-Course Dinner Chewing Gum from Roald Dahl’s Charlie and The Chocolate Factory (though I’m not sure if this is strictly classed as a canapé). Because just like the chewing gum, online is constantly evolving and changing, and you never know what you’re going to end up with. This is what I love about the industry, and why I thrive on it. Hopefully I won’t end up like poor Violet Beauregarde though!

HMS Belfast Relaunch

HMS Belfast was relaunched on Wednesday 17th March! Well, the venue facilities were... its not actually off to war or anything.

Absolutely hilarious night last night aboard HMS Belfast: to celebrate the refurbishment of the venue, Prestige hosted a drinks reception, inviting some 350 guests to join us for tours, music, champagne and canapes – and I can honestly say my job has never felt less like work.

Walking over the bridge onto the ship (on a red carpet no less), pipers piped and we were greeted by the Admiral. It was like stepping back in time. Jitter-bug dancers, flaming torches and live music all set the tone and the crowds of people gave off a constant buzz of excitement. It never fails to impress me that you are actually onboard a warship that served in the world wars and the view of the London skyline at night is simply breath-taking.

I only invited a handful of clients as it was not strictly ‘my’ night, but in the end I did not get to speak to a single one of them. The ship was completely packed and I enjoyed the opportunity of speaking to whomever I was rubbing up against. No, it was not that kind of party, but everyone certainly knew each other a little better than before by the time we all departed.

International Women's Day!

On Monday 8 March, International Women's Day took place and we celebrated the worldwide achievements and contributions of women to society and the economy by getting together for some tea and cake and having a good old moan about men…..

Not really; although we did have cake.

Like many organisations, Sodexo has a great representation of women in frontline and middle management positions. I work with some amazing women, and I have some fantastic role models within my department. However, at senior level we see fewer and fewer women. This has been recognised as a potential missed opportunity within our business (damn right), and as a result Sodexo recently launched a new initiative to increase the percentage of women in its management.

The Sodexo Women’s International Forum for Talent (SWIFT) is comprised of the organisation’s top 20 senior female executives (I just missed the cut) and represents 12 different nationalities. It focuses on identifying specific actions needed for Sodexo to achieve gender balance.

Personally, I couldn’t be more pleased. I studied gender as part of my MA and also volunteer for a women’s charity in my spare time – so it’s a subject very close to my heart.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show Drinks Reception

My first event – all me, all mine, mine mine mine!

I am a tad excited, can you tell? Last night I hosted a fabulous event celebrating the Official Hospitality at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (and for me, celebrating the fact that slowly but surely I have made this event my own within our department). 50 of Prestige’s top Hospitality clients joined the Prestige sales team at the L’Occitane boutique in Covent Garden for an evening of shopping, pampering and (lot’s of) champagne – and I am pleased to say that it was a great success.

Ok, so it is slightly remiss to say it was all me. I must thank the fantastic event team based at Cabinet War Rooms for operating the event, and our Event Manager for the Chelsea Flower Show who oversaw everything on the night; plus my colleagues here at Head Office and our new friends at L’Occitane. Overall, a great team effort.

L’Occitane is a fellow French company, and they will be exhibiting at the show for the first time this year. They are understandably excited and proud to have been selected from the hundreds of applicants who would like to exhibit at the show, and were delighted to have the chance to shout about it. They invited their garden designer, to speak to the guests and he gave a lovely speech about his Provence inspired garden. The RHS Show Director also joined us, and she too addressed our guests about the show and Hospitality.

Of course, it was expected that I would get up there and thank everyone for coming, talk a little about the Hospitality Village, describe what we do at Sodexo and announce the prize-winners. This was not an entirely thrilling prospect to me, (please note my aforementioned fear of public speaking), and during the weeks leading up to it I had been alternating between living in denial and not thinking about it, and waking up in the middle of night having just dreamt I’d lost the ability to speak any sense at all (although some will debate whether I have ever had this ability). In fact, before the guests arrived I tried to persuade David McCallum (Sales Director, The Open) to take the speech from me – threatening tears, tantrums, money – but to no avail: “This is all part of your development Lorraine. You can do it …. Etc etc”. Nor would Anna Fenten (Director of Marketing, Prestige) step in: a simple, “No daaaarling”. Thus the only road open to me was the Dutch one, and wonderfully, it did the trick …. I am very grateful to David for making me do it – it is such a great feeling to challenge yourself and win.

I absolutely love networking, and thoroughly enjoyed speaking with everyone there. I hadn’t intended it to be a ladies-only event, although it did end up being just us girls and this made for a lovely atmosphere. David and Stuart (fellow sales executive) were bitterly disappointed at being the only men amongst 50 women …..

Part of my approach to selling the Hospitality at Chelsea is advocating it as a truly exciting event for women. It is hard to do this without appearing to generalise, however traditionally, it is men who monopolise the hospitality calendar, mostly focussing on their male clients and sticking to the sporty-side of the industry. The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is a popular event which appeals to both men and women – but is a particular favourite with ladies.

Many of my guests on the evening thanked me profusely for putting on an event that they actually enjoyed and were pleased that female business needs were being taken into account. Personally, that is the aspect of the evening that makes me the most happy.

Boot Camp

Prestige is very big on personal development and truly live up to their name as Investors in People. In our Sales Team, we are always encouraged to speak up about how we want to grow, what else we want to learn and are regularly given opportunities to fulfil these needs.

The sales team I am part of have been working together for almost 2 years now, and it might seem strange to have what was termed ‘Boot camp Training’ after such a long time in the industry. However I think this is indicative of the fact that none of us are ‘sales sharks’, and have absolutely no desire to be so. We are in the unique position in that Sodexo Prestige are Event Operators, and whilst of course we compete for sales amongst the agencies that sell these events on our behalf, we are directly linked to our events and so see ourselves more as event consultants than sales executives. I will always seek to understand the business needs of my clients before recommending an event. Hospitality is genuinely an important business tool, definitely not just a jolly, and so it is crucial to use the right event.

A few days before the training I started to have reservations. Mostly, I was excited to go - I am the kind of person who needs to feel that they are always developing and learning things; but, there is always a part of me that hates to be brought out of my comfort zone and resists it. I particularly hate public speaking and the feeling that you are being observed in your work. I started to worry that this was a way for my bosses to evaluate me and decide whether or not I am actually any good at my job! Yes, paranoia is rife in my world ….

I needn’t have worried – although a very intense couple of days, we all left feeling like a million dollars (queue Witney Houston’s latest single) and ready to get back to work to start impressing our clients. The training was highly practical, with very little lecturing and provided us with a process, business tools and skills in a comfortable and fun environment. Lot’s of laughter, a touch of embarrassment but overall, a brilliant experience. The mortification of watching myself on screen during a presentation was off-set by the amazing Elderflower cordial we serve in our venues! (I am a bit obsessed).

Ian King - of Sales Performance Plus - is great at putting you at ease, and his style is a blend of his many years of experience in sales, genuine psychological insight – and ‘down the pub on a Friday night banter’. He will take the micky out of you, but he will also give you some great tools to help you work with your clients, and build up a confidence in you that was definitely not there before.

Working from HMS Belfast was a real treat and completely surreal too. When you are in the training room you are in ‘the zone’ and so do not think too much about the fact that you are on a real life War Ship, but during breaks it was amazing to step out on deck and take in the views of The Thames, and the London skyline.

Kerry Mutter, Sales Manager of HMS Belfast has very kindly invited me to return to the ship for their re-launch party on Thursday 17th March. More on this after the event – but please visit their website for more details on the venue.